Leuven, Our Lady Mediatrix

This church, built in 1937, is part of the monastery complex of the Montfortan fathers. The adjacent monastery was also designed by Eugene Stassin and also features decorative brick use.

Much is borrowed from Dom Bellot: The shape of the rosette window in the front is more likely to be seen in the chapel on the ‘kanaalstraat’ in Eindhoven, the arrangement with three dormer windows as clerestory windows is inspired by the Joseph Church in Noordhoek and the tower appears to be a copy of Van de Leur's St. Francis Church in Groningen.

It is a large city church, which has various ancillary spaces at the rear, made possible by the height difference in the terrain.

In the interior we find a stone vault. This was only placed after war damage had been repaired in 1946. However, the stone was placed in the existing coffered pattern. The organ is located on an indoor doxal. Under the tower there is a separate room designed as a Marian chapel. Communion benches are still present. The counterforts are very similar to those of the Heilig Hartkerk in Eindhoven. The rectangular choir, however, is unique, with a round dome vault in yellow stone on a square base, flanked by brick pillars.

Currently (2025) the church is in use as a Coptic Orthodox church

Photo’s: A.W.A. Lukassen and A.A. Lukassen, 2010